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Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Top Performer

Louisville, KY

Check my "booking information"

Travels nationwide

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Overview

Buckeye911 is a master balloon twister & speed twister that can twist 100+ simple balloons per hour, that is if you want simple balloons!

100 dogs and swords or 50 two balloon creations for the for the budget minded event. 20 five balloon creations if you want to Bedazzle your guests. Your choice depending on crowd size.

Buckeye911 will make simple balloons at a major festival or if it means eating. But if you have the opportunity to experience the best, hire Buckeye911.

He has been in business fifty years so he is not a flyby. He comes stocked with 3000 balloons and three pumps that have 18 hours total in battery.

Check his Booking Information for more detailed information.


Reviews

17 reviews

Small thumbnail image for reviewer Jeff S.

Jeff S.

August 18, 2025
Verified review

Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

It was such a pleasure having Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment at our company event. The were early to arrive, and set up on time, and were very friendly and professional. Many of the children in attendance left with balloon animals or other balloon art. We will be using Buckeye 911 again for future functions.

Hired as: Balloon Twister

Small thumbnail image for Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Thank you Jeff for your review. I enjoyed myself. I know it's not the same as when I was able to stroll but still have a great time. Thanks again for the five star review.


Small thumbnail image for reviewer Shaun P.

Shaun P.

August 12, 2024
Verified review

Great event

Party Pro quickly connected us with a great person for our event. Steve did an amazing job. Will certainly uses them again/

Hired as: Balloon Twister

Small thumbnail image for Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Thank you Shaun. I had a great time and would definitely do your event again too.


Small thumbnail image for reviewer Brian M.

Brian M.

November 1, 2020
Verified review

Great

Creative designs, efficient, and kept making balloons even when kids were not in line! I appreciate that work ethic

Hired as: Balloon Twister

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Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Thank you for the review. I enjoyed your event and was well recieved by your customers and guests. Thank you for hiring me.


Small thumbnail image for reviewer Sherri F.

Sherri F.

September 12, 2024
Verified review

Amazing 👏🏾!!

Mr. Stephen Phelps showed up ready! He pulled right in front, unloaded, got right to business. He is very unassuming but once he gets started you can tell he is a pro!! We loved having him there and the kids and adults loved having the hats and all the things he made. He is professional and we will surely use him again!!

Hired as: Balloon Twister

Small thumbnail image for Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Thank you Sherrie. I had a great time and look forward to working with you again.


Small thumbnail image for reviewer Danielle C.

Danielle C.

August 18, 2024
Verified review

Great add to our festival!

The kids loved the balloons, very creative. Such a nice entertainer! Thank You!

Hired as: Balloon Twister

Small thumbnail image for Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Buckeye 911 Family Entertainment

Thank you Danielle. I had a wonderful time and appreciate the review.

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Booking information

Price range: Check my "booking information"

Languages: American Sign Language, English

Gig length: 120 - 480 minutes

What to expect

TRAVEL AREA
Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Akron, Toledo. Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Morgantown, Indianapolis, Lexington, Louisville.

PRICING
Ohio: $250/2 hours: Out of state cities listed: $300/2 hours: $50 each additional hour up to six hours.

PAYMENT OPTIONS
Cash, check, credit card, Venmo, PayPal or Zelle can be accepted on the day of the event. If you want to Bitcoin, cars, houses and expensive jewelry would be nice too. (Just joking. You have to understand my humor)

PAPER OR PLASTIC
You can pay through Gigsalad or Buckeye 911 can bill you and accept payment on the day of the event UPON ARRIVAL. There is a $30-$50 additional fee for this service based on the total charge for the event. Basically it is the 10% fee that you would be bypassing by going "Off Books". Although I do offer the service once I have been paid by check then I add it as a "Booked Event" and you are then able to leave a review at that point. That's how you know that I am not cheating Gigsalad.

Why don't I add it immediately? Because I am paying your fee out of pocket before being paid myself and I stopped doing that when price checkers cancelled a few events because they got a better price and I had to go through a refund process with Gigsalad. There is a reason for everything!

REVIEWS
First of all may I say that not just for Buckeye911 but all other entertainers on this platform. We look forward to your "Five Star Review". And quickly too! We may appear to be enemies but we are not. We work together at times. I have had others cover for me when I was in the hospital and vice versa. And btw I regularly pray for all the entertainers in my area for blessings. I want them to be happy and working. Afterall I can't do every event myself and also if they are not working they will be undercutting prices. I believe in being affordable but not cheap. There is a difference.

Most reviews however come in about 30-40% of the total bookings if you are lucky. As a result you have to eyeball the results. Just because an entertainer has a lot of bookings (Which is good) but low on reviews, it doesn't mean they are a problem.

Take some time and read through some reviews sometime. It's amazing how often you will see tons of 5* reviews then "BOOM" they are flamed. And unless the entertainer has like 100 reviews it will take them 5-10 years to get back up again from someone who was just having a bad day.

SIMPLE VS DETAILED BALLOONS
Gigsalad in their own blog (Five questions to ask a balloon twister) explains that simple balloons are 20-25 balloons per hour and standard balloons are 10-15 balloons per hour.

However..... Buckeye911 is a speed twister and can twist 100+ balloons per hour in a busy situation. (Fairs, Trade shows, Auto shows, Home shows, Block parties, Birthday parties) He did 175 in an hour at the Pickerington 4th of July Festival about 1995 in a battle against five clowns working together when we all tried to steal the show for having the best balloons. And he was mouth inflating at the time. No pump can match a good set of lungs! To put it into perspective,.....

BIRTHDAY PARTY OR FESTIVAL
He can do 100 dogs , swords and hearts in an hour if he needs to. Please understand that he doesn't get hired by people who see him do dogs and swords because everybody does dogs and swords. But he understands budget friendly events.

CORPORATE EVENT OR PICNIC
50 two balloon creations in an hour. Or roughly 33 three balloon creations in an hour. Or 20 five balloon creations in an hour depending of course on how many guests you have at your event.

When your budget allows this is where you want to be. Eye popping creations. People going wild. Drooling and having their pictures taken together because of the creations floating around.

THE REAL WORLD
Most balloon twisters are in the business because they want to have fun themselves. But they forget that they are being paid to bring fun to the party. Sometimes we just need to put our feelings aside especially with what we charge to work. (Different explanation and justifiable).

HE BRINGS FUN TO THE PARTY
Buckeye911 has been known to sing at events (Very off key of course) and embarrass guests by dressing them up as Batman or the Flying Nun and having them run around and save the world or catch a gust of wind and fly away. Or dress a girl up as a princess or a boy as a pirate.

WHEN THINGS ARE SLOW
When he is at a busy event and has a slow time he takes advantage of that time to inflate and restock his available balloons for the next gust of guests
That's why he is the professional afterall.

About

Buckeye911 started in entertainment in 1975 at Disneyland. He was working in America on Parade and dressed in several different types of characters. As an employee he was allowed to go inside the park daily for free and would watch Wally Boag in the "Golden Horseshoe Review" do his thing with balloons. That is where he got his desire for balloons.

Additional booking notes

APPEARANCE
There are two things that a good balloon twister should never run out of. Balloons and air.

He is a professional balloon twister with a tote stocked with 3000 balloons. Two to three battery pumps that each last 6+ hours. A clean and sanitary workplace with clean tools and supplies. He doesn't allow people to touch his balloons until handed to them or his tools as they are clean. He brings plenty of sanitizer to keep his hands clean.

WHILE WORKING
As a child his father told him son, one day you are going to grow up and get a job and move out on your own. Your not going to live with me your whole life. He decided from a young age that if he was going to have to work for a living he might as well do something he enjoyed.

Buckeye911 is a clean interactive entertainment with jokes and stories and more as he entertains your guests with colorful and shapely creations. He is a speed twister that moves fast at 100+ simple balloons per hour. He is a stationary entertainment and works from a table.

TANGO911
Tango911 is my baby. I own the domain even though it is not active on the Internet. I am protecting the name until such a time that I can do a great website.

However, Buckeye911 does offer special deals for first responder departmental events with a purchase order. Just ask for more information.

Upcoming booked events

June 2026

13

Saturday

Nonprofit Event

12:00pm - 3:00pm

Wooster, OH

14

Sunday

Franklin County Fairgrounds

1:00pm - 3:00pm

August 2026

08

Saturday

Children’s Birthday Party

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Hamilton, OH

September 2026

26

Saturday

Festival

3:00pm - 6:00pm

Reynoldsburg, OH

Past booked events

May 2026

16

Saturday

Funfest

9:00am - 2:00pm

April 2026

11

Saturday

Nonprofit Event

2:00pm - 5:00pm

Dayton, OH

August 2025

16

Saturday

Corporate Event

2:00pm - 6:00pm

Hebron, OH

December 2024

14

Saturday

Sporting Event

10:00am - 12:00pm

Columbus, OH

08

Sunday

Christmas Party

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Columbus, OH

October 2024

05

Saturday

Brownsburg Indiana

All-day event

September 2024

28

Saturday

Columbus Ohio

11:00am - 2:00pm

20

Friday

Festival

5:00pm - 7:00pm

Powell, OH

11

Wednesday

Mount Vernon Ohio

11:00am - 2:00pm

11

Wednesday

Festival

10:00am - 1:00pm

Mount Vernon, OH

08

Sunday

Festival

12:30pm - 3:30pm

Columbus, OH

August 2024

22

Thursday

Cleveland Ohio

4:00pm - 6:00pm

17

Saturday

Festival

2:00pm - 5:00pm

Bucyrus, OH

17

Saturday

Bucyrus Ohio

2:00pm - 5:00pm

10

Saturday

Upper Arlington Ohio

9:00am - 1:00pm

09

Friday

Corporate Event

11:00am - 3:00pm

London, KY

07

Wednesday

Columbus Ohio

10:00am - 2:00pm

03

Saturday

Festival

12:00pm - 2:00pm

Lebanon, OH

July 2024

27

Saturday

Lewis Center Ohio

11:00am - 4:00pm

19

Friday

Westerville Ohio

6:00pm - 8:00pm

06

Saturday

Grove City Ohio

12:00pm - 2:00pm

June 2024

24

Monday

Grove City Ohio

All-day event

23

Sunday

Delaware Ohio

12:00pm - 4:00pm

08

Saturday

Nonprofit Event

11:30am - 4:30pm

Columbus, OH

01

Saturday

Lewis Center Ohio

3:00pm - 4:00pm

May 2024

16

Thursday

Dublin Ohio

4:00pm - 8:00pm

March 2024

23

Saturday

Groveport Ohio

11:00am - 2:00pm

02

Saturday

Westerville Ohio

All-day event

February 2024

23

Friday

Corporate Event

6:30pm - 8:30pm

Columbus, OH

January 2024

20

Saturday

Children’s Birthday Party

12:00pm - 1:30pm

Reynoldsburg, OH

November 2023

24

Friday

Children’s Birthday Party

5:30pm - 7:00pm

Sunbury, OH

September 2023

16

Saturday

Personal Occasion

11:00am - 1:00pm

New Albany, OH

10

Sunday

Corporate Event

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Columbus, OH

September 2022

13

Tuesday

Festival

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Mount Vernon, OH

August 2022

02

Tuesday

Nonprofit Event

5:00pm - 8:00pm

Cincinnati, OH

November 2021

26

Friday

Festival

4:00pm - 8:00pm

Dayton, OH

20

Saturday

Festival

1:00pm - 5:00pm

Columbus, OH

October 2021

30

Saturday

Festival

12:00pm - 4:00pm

Columbus, OH

02

Saturday

Cedarville Ohio

12:30pm - 3:00pm

September 2021

25

Saturday

Springfield Ohii

2:00pm - 5:00pm

18

Saturday

Newark Ohio

5:00pm - 8:00pm

18

Saturday

New Albany Ohio

2:30pm - 9:00pm

12

Sunday

Cincinnati Ohio

1:00pm - 5:00pm

11

Saturday

Loveland Ohio

12:00pm - 5:00pm

04

Saturday

Reynoldsburg Ohio

3:00pm - 7:00pm

August 2021

22

Sunday

Washington Court House

1:00pm - 5:00pm

21

Saturday

Festival

5:00pm - 7:00pm

Waynesville, OH

14

Saturday

Nonprofit Event

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Springfield, OH

07

Saturday

Festival

10:00am - 2:00pm

Columbus, OH

06

Friday

Mansfield Ohio

5:00pm - 9:00pm

03

Tuesday

Dublin Ohio

5:00pm - 8:00pm

July 2021

23

Friday

New Albany Ohio

5:00pm - 9:00pm

17

Saturday

North Columbus

5:00pm - 9:00pm

11

Sunday

Children’s Birthday Party

2:30pm - 4:00pm

Columbus, OH

05

Monday

Grove City Ohio

4:00pm - 9:00pm

June 2021

26

Saturday

Nonprofit Event

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Columbus, OH

25

Friday

New Albany Ohio

5:00pm - 9:00pm

23

Wednesday

Festival

4:30pm - 5:30pm

Columbus, OH

12

Saturday

Nonprofit Event

5:30pm - 7:30pm

Mount Gilead, OH

12

Saturday

Children’s Birthday Party

1:00pm - 2:30pm

Hilliard, OH

May 2021

23

Sunday

Dublin Ohio

1:00pm - 5:00pm

16

Sunday

Children’s Birthday Party

3:00pm - 4:00pm

Newark, OH

April 2021

24

Saturday

Festival

11:00am - 3:00pm

Heath, OH

03

Saturday

Nonprofit Event

10:30am - 1:30pm

Columbus, OH

March 2021

13

Saturday

House Party

2:30pm - 3:30pm

Columbus, OH

January 2021

30

Saturday

Children’s Birthday Party

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Columbus, OH

October 2020

31

Saturday

Grand Opening

1:00pm - 3:30pm

Powell, OH

June 2020

27

Saturday

Children’s Birthday Party

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Pataskala, OH

December 2019

14

Saturday

Christmas Party

1:00pm - 3:30pm

Columbus, OH

October 2019

19

Saturday

Grand Opening

10:00am - 1:00pm

Columbus, OH

September 2019

21

Saturday

Corporate Event

12:00pm - 2:00pm

Galion, OH

June 2019

03

Monday

Nonprofit Event

12:00pm - 2:00pm

Columbus, OH

March 2019

02

Saturday

Children's Birthday Party

4:00pm - 5:00pm

Lewis Center, OH

April 2018

20

Friday

Festival

5:30pm - 7:30pm

Marion, OH

January 2018

27

Saturday

Birthday Party

1:30pm - 3:00pm

Westerville, OH

December 2017

16

Saturday

Children's Birthday Party

6:30pm - 7:30pm

Columbus, OH

August 2017

26

Saturday

Concert

2:30pm - 4:30pm

Columbus, OH

June 2017

24

Saturday

Festival

2:00pm - 2:45pm

Powell, OH

Set list

Buckeye911 is a master balloon twister and speed twister. And every event is different. You have different tempraments. Especially a lot of times dealing with small children. Just something to hold is fine. But the older they get the more the thinking process kicks in.

Trust me. Buckeye911 gets hired by being the best balloon twister at the party. So he wants people walking around with his balloons like business cards or sandwich boards advertising his business. So obviously he likes to go large and be in charge.

However if there are a lot of little ones there, or if a popular kid is there that can change the dynamics of the event. Have you noticed one side of my head is flatter from banging it against the wall so much trying to go large when the little ones want to just hold something!

So. I can do simple balloons and detailed balloons. Superhero balloons. Balloons that resembles food. Masks. Swords. Animals, plants, people and more.

One time I asked my wife about me getting into "Balloon Couture". Ballroom gowns and wedding dresses made out of balloons. For the life of me I don't understand why a woman would want to wear a balloon dress knowing that just one strategically busted balloon can show a whole area. But Paris Hilton had one so everybody else wants one.

I told my wife I can make a lot of money. All I have to do is walk around and measure women's busts and bottoms and fit them with the finished product. Her response was priceless.... Do you like being married?

So that's out. But trust me. Buckeye911 can be a lot of fun! You have to experience his set list live!

Influences and inspiration

I started with balloons at Disneyland watching Wally Boag in the Golden Horseshoe Review make balloons. He was the one who taught Steve Martin to make balloons. Then I actually learned from a friend who taught me for teaching him to juggle. We did clowning together at car dealerships all over Orange County and Los Angeles together.

Setup requirements

A 5x5 space is needed so as to not hit people in the face and such while twisting.

I bring my own table and chair.

A shade or cover is needed if outdoors for rain.

Must be indoors in cold weather below 45°.

Setup and teardown takes 15 minutes on each end. I start early when ready and stay a few minutes late if I don't have to be somewhere.

Sometimes I do accept payment on the day of the event for certain types of companies that pay by check. There is a $20-$30 extra fee for that service as Gigsalad charges me for offsite booking. That must be paid upon arrival before starting the event.

The previous fee mentioned is based on the total amount of the gig and replacing the amount the customer normally pays in booking fees when booked online. So I am not left paying the fee.